Games that involve placing or tossing an article on or at another object have long been known in the art. For example, horseshoes involves participants tossing metal horseshoes at a stake installed in the ground. Washers, ladder golf, bags, and many more games have further adapted this basic concept, particularly with an eye toward portability so that individuals may play these games at tailgates, barbeques, etc.
Some such games are known in the patent literature. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,902, issued to Warehime, discloses a handball type game and apparatus for singles and doubles play on permanent or temporary type court layout utilizing a pair of special tethered balls of convenient hand size and with high rebound characteristics. Balls are connected by cord with small swivel therein, with spacing between balls roughly approximating shoulder width of wide range of users. Simple measuring and marking means facilitates court layout. Also, existing regular handball, racquetball, and squash courts can be used for game play, however, only one vertical wall is used in novel game. Basic game rules require tethered balls to be thrown one-handedly, that is, both balls released from one hand, and caught on rebound from wall two-handedly, that is, one ball each caught separately and simultaneously. Fault assessments and scoring awards are somewhat similar to regular handball. The paired tethered balls also have many other exercise, recreational, and entertainment uses for a wide range of participants.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,335, issued to Galvin, discloses a game/toy device generally comprises a cord which is fastened to two spaced apart support posts that are vertically mounted from the ground. An alarm or bell device(s) is connected or attached to said cord. The user/player may score a point by tossing a ball or other object at the cord and hitting it. The alarm/bell device signals each point made. A selected number of hits wins the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,171,019, issued to Arnette, discloses a tethered ring game and kit comprising a tethered ring, means for attaching the tether to an overhanging surface, swivel means mounted intermediate the tether and the attachment means for preventing the cord from becoming twisted during use, and an open hook to be mounted on a surface approximately 90 spaced relation to the attachment means for receiving the tethered ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,956, issued to Reid, discloses a tethered ball toss game is described in which a number of tethered balls arranged at both ends of a series of cords and secured to the ends of the cords by knots are tossed from a prescribed distance toward a number of horizontal bars positioned between upright supports which are retained in perpendicular angularity to the underlying support surface by bottom supports. Each of the horizontal bars are relocatable in a vertical direction along the side supports to other predetermined points for engagement with the side supports by engaging a retractable latching member into a cooperating hole so that the bar is secured in the desired position. In this fashion the distance between the bars can be altered to vary the difficulty and skill levels of the game. Alternative embodiments of the game are also contemplated where the length of the bars is varied by changing the shape of the side supports to accommodate shortened horizontal bars. This different array of bars can be progressively shorter from bottom to top, or vice versa, or have shorter bars at the middle of the vertical distance.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,004,468, issued to Johnson et al., discloses a game including a frame, a rotatable scoring assembly, and at least one playing piece. The at least one playing piece is thrown toward the rotatable scoring assembly, and points are scored by the playing piece coming to rest on predetermined portions of the scoring bar assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,703,771, issued to Ray M. Hunt and Anne Hunt, discloses a game in which two spherical balls tethered to opposing ends of a flexible cord are tossed at a ladder-like target goal post having a plurality of cross bars, the toss occurring from the region behind a facing goal post spaced across a field of play. An objective of the game is to toss the tethered ball pair across the field to the opposing goal post to entwine or wrap around a goal post cross bar. Points are earned when the toss remains wrapped to the crossbar.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,128,093, issued to Gerrish, discloses a game that includes a plurality of stringed ball assemblies and a frame including a series of rotatable arms located thereon. The stringed ball assemblies each consist of two balls each secured to an end of a string, and a middle ball having a hole bored there through and of which said string is threaded thereon such that the middle ball can traverse back and forth along said string and in between the two balls located at each end. The frame supports the rotatable arm across a central arm such that the rotatable arms rotate along a horizontal axis. The rotatable arms and the central arm are each color-coded and upon landing a stringed ball assembly shall award a point designated by the rules of the game. The stringed ball assemblies can impact or land upon the rotatable arms, which may cause the rotatable arms to rotate about the horizontal axis via bearings affixed between the rotatable arms and the central arm.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2008/0093803, filed by Vallee et al., discloses ball tossing game consists of a tossing device that is thrown at a target device. The tossing device may consist of a string or other flexible connector, having a ball on each end thereof. The target has at least one and preferably multiple horizontally-oriented rungs, onto which the tossing device may be wrapped. Additional targets are provided, including a target defined by a vertically oriented post positioned proximate an end of a horizontal rung and perpendicular thereto. In another embodiment, a reduced-length horizontal rung is coupled to at least one of the rungs, and is oriented either above or below the rung. It may be desired to provide, for a single rung, vertically oriented posts and at least one reduced-length horizontal rung.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2009/0206550, filed by Pershin et al., discloses a hook and ring game apparatus and method including a hook device having a mounting portion with a longitudinal axis substantially transverse to a surface. The hook device further including an arcuate portion extending from the mounting portion forming a sweep of about one-hundred and eighty degrees terminating in a cantilever beam having an acute angle to the surface. Further included is a ring assembly having a tether with a first end portion freely suspended from a selected position in an overhead support and a second end portion adjacent to a ring being operational to freely swing a pendulum type of movement relative to the overhead support. The ring and hook are operational to form a chance element to removably engage one another as the ring moves through the arc path potentially contacting with the hook, with either the ring removably engaging the hook or not engaging the hook.
Notwithstanding the wide array of products available, Applicant is unaware of any game that incorporates structures that resemble male genitalia. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a game that includes the placing or tossing of objects coupled together on or at a pole or like appendage such that a successful placing or toss results in an arrangement that resembles male genitalia.